ARCHIVED NEWS
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March 2011
Game Patches
31 March 2011
Nvidia Beta Forceware 270.51
31 March 2011
Nvidia has released the Beta 270.51 driver for Windows XP, Vista and 7. This driver is for GeForce 6 and higher desktop cards. It adds support for the new GeForce GTX 500 series cards, and improves performance on the GTX 400 and 500 series in several games. The driver also has Nvidia Surround improvements, incorporates the 3D Vision driver in the core driver package, adds a new Nvidia Update checking feature, along with other changes and fixes. The driver package also contains the 9.10.0514 PhysX drivers.
FRAPS 3.4.0
31 March 2011
A new Version 3.4.0 of the FPS measurement, benchmarking and video capture utility FRAPS has been released. This version adds a configurable buffer size for loop recording mode, and increases capture performance at high resolutions, along with bug fixes.
AMD Catalyst 11.3
30 March 2011
AMD has released the official Catalyst 11.3 graphics driver for the HD 2000 series and above. The changes in this WHQL certified driver include support for APP OpenCL enabled by default, as well as a range of bug fixes.
Game Patches
30 March 2011
Nvidia Forceware 267.91
29 March 2011
Nvidia has released the 267.91 WHQL certified driver for Windows Vista and 7. This driver is only for the new GeForce GTX 590 card. The driver package also contains the 9.10.0514 PhysX drivers.
Game Patches
29 March 2011
Game Patches
26 March 2011
WinZip 15
26 March 2011
The archival utility WinZip has been upgraded to Version 15 Build 9411.
Chrome 10.0.648.204
25 March 2011
Google has released Version 10.0.648.204 of the Chrome browser. This version contains performance, stability and security fixes.
Site Update
25 March 2011
For those of you wondering how the new Crysis 2 looks and plays, I've uploaded an HD Crysis 2 Gameplay Video at maximum graphics. Contrary to what you may hear, it's a visually impressive, immersive and fun game. Is it as advanced as Crysis 1 was for its time? I don't think so, but you can decide for yourself after viewing this HD Crysis 1 Gameplay Video. Then again, I'm sure we can all recall how Crysis 1 was received by the PC community: the majority dubbed it an "overrated boring tech demo" and complained endlessly about its strenuous requirements. In PC gaming, as in other things, we reap what we sow.
Nvidia Forceware 267.84
25 March 2011
Nvidia has released the 267.84 WHQL certified driver for Windows Vista and 7. This driver is only for the new GeForce GTX 590 card. The driver package also contains the 9.10.0514 PhysX drivers.
Update: These drivers have now been replaced by a slightly newer 267.85 version which is again only for the GTX 590.
Game Patches
25 March 2011
CCleaner 3.05.1408
25 March 2011
A new Version 3.05.1408 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. This update adds support for Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 4.0, adds registry cleaning for Windows services, cleans obsolete firewall rules, as well as other improvements and bug fixes.
VLC Media Player 1.1.8
25 March 2011
The free VLC Media Player has been updated to Version 1.1.8. This version adds a new decoder, and contains a range of fixes.
Foxit Reader 4.3.1
25 March 2011
The free Foxit PDF Reader has been updated to Version 4.3.1.0323. This version fixes a bug.
Windows Update
24 March 2011
Microsoft has released a Security Update for all versions of Windows which resolves an issue related to the certificate revocation list.
Game Patches
24 March 2011
Windows Update
23 March 2011
Microsoft has released an Update which resolves DirectWrite and XPS issues in Windows Vista.
Game Patches
23 March 2011
Firefox Tweak Guide
23 March 2011
The Firefox Tweak Guide has been completely updated for the release of Firefox 4.0. The major new features and tweaks for Firefox 4.0 are denoted in bold, and I've also revised recommendations and descriptions throughout the guide, adding new tweaks, suggested add-ons and tips.
Firefox 4.0
23 March 2011
Mozilla has released Version 4.0 of the Firefox browser. This is a major release containing a range of new features including a new user interface, Firefox Sync, GPU Hardware Acceleration, Panorama, as well as performance improvements and fixes.
Flash Player 10.2.153.1
22 March 2011
Adobe has released Version 10.2.153.1 of the Flash Player plugin for browsers.
Game Patches
22 March 2011
Sandra 2011
22 March 2011
SiSoftware has released a new 2011 Build 17.43 of the free system information utility Sandra.
GPU-Z 0.5.2
21 March 2011
GPU-Z, a free graphics card information utility, has reached Version 0.5.2. Changes include support for new chipsets as well as several bug fixes.
Chrome 10.0.648.151
20 March 2011
Google has released Version 10.0.648.151 of the Chrome browser. This version blacklists a small number of HTTPS certificates.
Game Patches
19 March 2011
Winamp 5.61
18 March 2011
The free Winamp media player has been updated to Version 5.61. Changes include a range of fixes.
Game Patches
18 March 2011
SpeedFan 4.43
18 March 2011
Almico has released Version 4.43 of SpeedFan, a free utility for changing system fan speeds, measuring temperatures and voltages and adjusting clock speeds. This version now requires admin privileges to run, improves the user interface and startup times, adds support for new chipsets, as well as a range of other improvements and fixes.
Steam Guard
17 March 2011
Valve's Steam Guard feature is no longer in beta and now available for all Steam users. When Steam Guard is enabled on your account, anyone attempting to login to your Steam account from an unrecognized computer must provide additional authorization.
Game Patches
17 March 2011
Windows Update
17 March 2011
Microsoft has released an Update which resolves a printing issue when using a Canon printer on Windows Vista or 7.
Process Explorer 14.1
16 March 2011
Microsoft has released Version 14.1 of the free Process Explorer utility, which is a more detailed version of Task Manager. This update adds cycle-based CPU usage and shows thread ideal processors on Windows 7, shows usage for processes that consume less than 0.01% CPU, and adds the ability to remote control and connect to other logon sessions.
Chrome 10.0.648.134
16 March 2011
Google has released Version 10.0.648.134 of the Chrome browser. This version contains an updated Flash player.
Nvidia Forceware 267.59
16 March 2011
Nvidia has released the 267.59 WHQL certified driver for Windows XP, Vista and 7. This driver is only for the new GeForce GTX 550 Ti card, as well as the GeForce GTS 450. The driver package also contains the 9.10.0514 PhysX drivers.
Game Patches
16 March 2011
Internet Explorer 9
15 March 2011
Microsoft has officially released the final build of Internet Explorer 9. Users running IE9 Beta or RC will be automatically updated to the RTM version. For details of the new features and tweaks available in IE9, see the Internet Explorer chapter of the TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Windows 7. Note that IE9 does not run under Windows XP.
3DMark Vantage 1.10
15 March 2011
Futuremark has released a 1.10 Patch for the 3DMark Vantage benchmark. This update removes the Trial Edition limitations and makes the Basic Edition free, adds display scaling, and disables PPU acceleration in the CPU tests.
Game Patches
15 March 2011
Google Site Blocking
12 March 2011
Google has introduced a new feature to Google Search which allows users to block particular sites from appearing within their search results. The option to 'Block all [sitename] results' will appear next to the Cached and Similar links for the search listing from each site. Users can unblock blocked sites again at any time if desired.
Game Patches
12 March 2011
Game Patches
11 March 2011
FRAPS 3.3.2
10 March 2011
A new Version 3.3.2 of the FPS measurement, benchmarking and video capture utility FRAPS has been released. This version adds support for several new key and mouse button combinations.
Internet Explorer 9
10 March 2011
Microsoft has announced that Internet Explorer 9 will be officially released to the public on 14 March. For those who are currently using the Release Candidate of IE9, it will automatically update to the final version.
Safari 5.0.4
10 March 2011
Apple has released Version 5.0.4 of the Safari browser for Windows. This update contains general compatibility, security and bug fixes.
Game Patches
10 March 2011
iTunes 10.2.1
9 March 2011
Apple has released a new Version 10.2.1 of the iTunes software. The change list is identical to version 10.2, so it appears this is a bug fix release.
AMD Catalyst 11.4 Early Preview
9 March 2011
AMD has released the Catalyst 11.4 Early Preview graphics driver for Windows 7. This driver provides performance improvements for the Radeon HD 6000 series, adds new features to the Catalyst Control Center, and fixes a bug in Dragon Age II for the HD 5800 series.
Chrome 10.0.648.127
9 March 2011
Google has released Version 10.0.648.127 of the Chrome browser. It contains a new version of V8, new settings pages that open in a tab, improved security and malware reporting, sandboxed Flash, GPU accelerated video, as well as a range of other features, bug and security fixes.
Microsoft Security Updates
9 March 2011
Microsoft has released its monthly set of Windows security updates which you can get through Windows Update. Alternatively you can view and download them individually from here - click the 'Released' column header once to sort by date.
Game Patches
9 March 2011
WinRAR 4.00
8 March 2011
The archival utility WinRAR has been updated to Version 4.00. This is a major release containing performance improvements, changes to ISO support, changes to the password dialog, Windows 7-specific features, and a range of other changes and bug fixes.
Game Patches
8 March 2011
Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility 9.2.0.1025
6 March 2011
Intel has released Version 9.2.0.1025 of the Chipset Software Installation Utility, the main motherboard driver for Intel chipset-based motherboards.
Steam Guard
5 March 2011
You can now enable additional security for your Steam account using the beta Steam Guard feature. When Steam Guard is enabled on your account, anyone attempting to login to your Steam account from an unrecognized computer must provide additional authorization.
Firefox 3.6.15
5 March 2011
Mozilla has released Version 3.6.15 of the Firefox browser. This version contains a Java bug fix.
Game Patches
5 March 2011
Nvidia Beta Forceware 267.31
4 March 2011
Nvidia has released the Beta 267.31 driver for Windows XP, Vista and 7. This driver is only for the GeForce GTX 580. It is identical to the Beta 267.24 drivers released recently, except for a single bug fix related to multiple monitors. The driver package also contains the 9.10.0514 PhysX drivers.
Game Patches
4 March 2011
Game Patches
3 March 2011
iTunes 10.2
3 March 2011
Apple has released a new Version 10.2 of the iTunes software. This version adds support for iOS 4.3, has improved home sharing, and contains several bug fixes.
Realtek HD Audio 2.58
3 March 2011
Realtek has released Version 2.58 of its HD Audio drivers. If you have problems with the link, click the 'High Definition Audio Codecs' link at the top of the page then select 'Software'.
FRAPS 3.3.1
2 March 2011
A new Version 3.3.1 of the FPS measurement, benchmarking and video capture utility FRAPS has been released. This version has a range of bug fixes.
Tweaking Crysis 2
2 March 2011
Crysis 2 is fairly much locked down in terms of advanced tweaking, but there is one working method of implementing cvars, and that is to add them to the launch box for the main executable. Right-click on the Crysis2Demo.exe file found under the \Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\Crytek\Crysis 2 Demo\bin32\ directory and select 'Send to Desktop' to create a launch icon. Then right-click on this new icon on your desktop, select properties, and one blank space after the last character in the Target box, add your command(s) with a plus sign in front of them. This method is detailed at the bottom of this page of the Crysis Tweak Guide, and at the moment many of the commands from Crysis 1 can be used as shown in this section of the guide. For example, adding +g_skipintro 1 skips the intro screens, +cl_fov 85 changes your field of view to 85 degrees, +r_glow 0 disables the heavy glow effect visible particularly in Hardcore graphics, and so on. I'll hopefully have a full Crysis 2 Tweak Guide up at GeForce.com after the final version of the game is released.
Firefox 3.6.14
2 March 2011
Mozilla has released Version 3.6.14 of the Firefox browser. This version contains several security and stability fixes.
Game Patches
2 March 2011
Nvidia Beta Forceware 267.24
1 March 2011
Nvidia has released the Beta 267.24 driver for Windows XP, Vista and 7. This driver is for GeForce 6 and higher desktop cards. It adds 3D Vision support for Bulletstorm, SLI support for Homefront, improves compatibility with Dragon Age II, and fixes an issue preventing Nvidia Control Panel access on the Windows Desktop. The driver package also contains the 9.10.0514 PhysX drivers.
Update: An SLI Profile update has also been released, specifically for Crysis 2.
Chrome 9.0.597.107
1 March 2011
Google has released Version 9.0.597.107 of the Chrome browser. This version contains a range of security fixes.
Crysis 2 Multiplayer Demo
1 March 2011
The Crysis 2 Multiplayer Demo has been released, weighing in at 1.6GB. Currently there are three available download links: at This Site, directly from the EA Servers, or from Internode Games. I'll provide more details, along with a YouTube video, once I've had a chance to install the demo.
Update: The demo is now widely available at places like Gamershell and Fileshack
Update: I've uploaded a Full HD YouTube Video which has a full sample round from the game at maximum settings, demonstrating the graphics and some basic gameplay.
Update: For those wondering how the single player will run, and what options will be available in the final version of the game, see this official Crysis 2 Performance Article over at GeForce.com.
Flash Player 10.2.152.32
1 March 2011
Adobe has released Version 10.2.152.32 of the Flash Player plugin for browsers.
Game Patches
1 March 2011
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